Warming temperatures and mating season make for ideal conditions that re-energize Florida’s estimated 1.3 million alligators, and experts are warning locals as well as tourists to stay out of the way.

The risk of an increase in human-alligator interactions can also be attributed to the state’s population and tourism growth, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Authorities explained that mating season generally begins with a courtship in April followed by breeding in May and June, a time when temperatures begin to rise. Alligators tend to be the most active when daily temperatures reach 82 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit, typically late in their mating season.

Alligators are ectothermic; they rely on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature, causing it to fluctuate according to its surroundings. They control their body temperature by basking in the sun, or moving to areas with warmer or cooler air or water temperatures.

Mating season and warming temperatures can lead to more unwanted appearances and interactions with humans, according to Susan Smith, a spokesperson for the FWC.

Last year the commission logged 455 nuisance alligators calls in Pinellas County, which lead to the harvest or relocation of 261 reptiles.

In the state, 12 people were reported bitten by an alligator last year. The last reported death was in 2007 when a 36 year old man was seized and drowned by an alligator as he was swimming across a pond at the Miccosukee Indian Reservation in West Miami. A 9’4” alligator was believed to be responsible for the attack.

To keep alligators out of your yard, officials recommend homeowners install a fence that is at least four and a half feet tall. While alligators are good climbers, anything lower would not be adequate protection.

If you do have a close run-in with an alligator that charges at you, run away fast and straight, not zig-zag. According to FWC authorities, there is no basis to the myth that you should run in a zig-zag pattern to avoid a charging alligator.

If you do find yourself in the extremely unlikely position of avoiding a lunging alligator, you should run in a straight line away from the alligator and its habitat, which is where the alligator will most likely retreat to and never approach an alligator that is on land.